A boost converter circuit is intended to receive a low magnitude input voltage and transmit a higher magnitude output voltage. Because the boost converter circuit operates at high voltages, the components of the boost converter circuit are sufficiently robust to operate at high voltages. One component of a conventional boost converter circuit is a twin well diode. The twin well diode design is used to provide a higher breakdown voltage than a single well diode. The breakdown voltage is the voltage at which an element is damaged and no longer provides sufficient resistance to prevent current from passing through the element while the element is in an off state.
However, the design of the twin well diode forms a parasitic bipolar junction transistor (BJT) within the twin well diode. The parasitic BJT is formed between an epitaxially grown layer (epi-layer) having a first type of conductivity, a second well having a second type of conductivity and a first well having the first type of conductivity. For example, in a twin well diode having a p-type epi-layer and an n-type second well surrounding a p-type first well, the parasitic BJT is a P-N-P BJT. The parasitic BJT causes current leakage into the substrate which is electrically connected to a ground. In some instances, the current leakage is approximately 50%. The high current leakage significantly reduces the efficiency of the boost converter circuit, which limits the ability of the boost converter circuit to supply the desired power output.